The LRV-17 Long Range Vessel is made primarily of carbon fiber-reinforced composites and reinforced with carbon nanotubes. It uses the Arovex carbon fiber nanocomposite system, which is designed to reduce weight and increase fuel efficiency and range. The boat's range is more than 1,500 nautical miles -- more than three times that of similar-sized vessels -- and it reaches sprint speeds of more than 40 knots.

The LRV-17, the first manned boat to be made primarily of nanomaterials, has an extended range of more than 1,500 nautical miles -- more than three times the range of similar-sized vessels.(Source: Zyvexz Marine)

Zyvex Marine debuted a prototype of the boat's predecessor, the Piranha Unmanned Surface Vessel, in 2010 and shipped the first one in 2011. The Piranha is also based on Arovex nanocarbon material from the company's parent, Zyvex Technologies. Arovex is the first such material made commercially available.

The new boat's deep V-shaped hull uses an active gyroscope stabilizer to decrease human fatigue factors and improve handling at sea, Zyvex said. Only two operators are needed, but the vessel can accommodate up to four additional crew members for more than five days. It is 57 feet long, carries 1,700 gallons of fuel, and has an 11.9-foot beam and a 2.33-foot draft.

Global Maritime Security Solutions (GMSS) of Dubai will deploy the boats for various maritime security purposes off the coast of Africa and elsewhere. One of the primary uses will be to protect other vessels against piracy. GMSS expects to use security teams, each operating two LRV-17s, to protect ships in its new Merchant Vessel Convoy Escort Program.

"The new LRV-17 boats are game changers in maritime security missions because they are the only vessels capable of long range escort and high speeds to deal with multiple pirate threats," Rhynhardt Berrange, managing director of GMSS, said in a press release. "They need only small security teams to effectively operate. These attributes create a cost-effective platform to ensure maritime security. The visible presence of the new vessels is expected to deter and help prevent piracy attempts and attacks."

Zyvex Marine is developing utility, patrol, and unmanned versions of the LRV-17 boat platform. The company has also introduced doors, hatches, and other marine closures made of Arovex. In partnership with Pacific Coast Marine, the company introduced a door that it says weighs less (50 pounds, instead of 150) and is more durable than one made of traditional materials.

Arovex is made with Zyvex Technologies' Kentera dispersion technology, which creates chemical bonds on carbon nanotubes. Incorporating carbon nanomaterials into the resin systems used to make the material helps protect it from fracture damage, making it tougher without adding weight, the company says. The material is used in sporting goods, automotive, marine, aerospace, and defense applications.

This boat might be exactly what the authorities need to fight of the piracy, but what of the costs, nanotechnology is not that cheap. If such boats will be acquired eventually, the best boat lifts should also be considered by the authorities.

Naperlou, these remind me of WWII PT boats, which were made out of plywood, and were fast. (Range and torpedos probably the biggest difference.

Some of these armament/drones etc. replies ignore both political reality, and reality in general. 'Pirates' look like fishermen. (With nicer, bigger outboard motors?) Shoot first, and ask questions later? How macho!

When you find out they are pirates, it may well be because they have sidled up to a boat, or even already have boarded one. Gonna spray that big tanker with a fifty? Kiss the crew goodby? I don't think so.

Do the pirates buy fifties for their boats? Heck, do they buy one of these boats?

Five years after these are deployed, pirates have quit, and these are no longer patroling. At which point the pirates start right up again?

I surely don't know how this will play out, but I thirst for more info about this boat and how it would be used. Sounds like it might pay for a lot of merchant mercenaries, riding right on the target ships. But that's probably a whole new can of worms.

Even A single .50 BMG would get the point across. They wouldn't have to arrest anyone just defend the escorted ships. One of the main ships could serve as Command and Control and the small vessels would respond with intercepts and machine gun bursts. If you've ever been on the receiving end of .50 caliber fire you know how intimidating it is. Even a single hit on the types of boats the pirates use would be devastating.

My recommendation for fighting the pirates in that part of the world would be to use well armed drones and simply blast them out of the water. After a few hundred pirate vessels are sunk, possibly there would be some reduction in maritime piracy in that area. It is quite likely that the payback on the investment in drones would come within just a few weeks.

The fact is that it is hard to scare the pilot of a drone, since they are far away.

Much ado about extended range, but nothing about munitions or armor. Are they going to drive pirates away by merely looking badass?! Is this for recon, point of spear, or what? If they arrest 12 pirates, hows that get handled? Is it stealthy? Sold to the highest bidder?

Lou, I looked up the P-51 Mustang and that aircraft sounds like a good analogy to the boats escorting ships I describe. Regarding CNTs, they are showing up everywhere in composites to reinforce them: the resulting materials are called nanocomposites.

Ann, when you mention the longer range of these boats and the fact that this makes them a game changer in the business of escorting ships against an enemy, I am reminded of the P-51 Mustang. Their longer range made them able to escort larger bombers all the way to their targets. It was a technological improvement that made them able to do the job at the time. In the same way these boats incorporate improvements that let them do a job that was not really possible before. The carbon nanotubes are really interesting. I have seen them used in microelectronics where they are literally grown within the chip. It is very impressive. In that case they are able to tale larger electrical loads than standard conductors. In this case it is strength and light weight that is the attribute.

Fascinating article, Ann. I guess it shouldn't be surprising to find composites are working their way into boats. I also find it interesting that that goal is to prevent piracy rather than chasing the bad guys afterwards.

University of Southampton researchers have come up with a way to 3D print transparent optical fibers like those used in fiber-optic telecommunications cables, potentially boosting frequency and reducing loss.

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